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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Zig-Zag Boy
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Barbara C. (Riverside, CA)
Motherhood
Difficult to review, because anything I write might be something I expect a reader would want to discover for herself. How do we understand this malady of Zach. Many different diagnoses and treatments in two different countries. The challenge of two sons, so different from each other. A wife who seems to get short shrift. The author's love of the sea and sea life. I'd love to see this family in ten years.
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Arlene I. (Johnston, RI)
Unforgettable Story
Zig-Zag boy by Tanya Frank details her nineteen year-old son, Zack's, tailspin into a psychotic mental state. She writes of her son's hospitalizations, taking super-charged drugs and a defunct mental health care system in both the US and the UK and trying to get cohesive answers from the medical communities. This novel definitely depicts a mother's unwavering love for her son and the realization of her new reality concerning Zach.
It was heart-breaking to read how so very difficult it was to get answers and trying to turn over every "stone" to help your child. Whether you are a parent or not, Tanya Frank's journey in this beautifully detailed memoir has put a new face on the mental health crisis. It should force all of us to re-examine what is available to us concerning mental health issues. As a parent and a novice in this area, this novel has certainly propelled me to seek out more information.
This memoir should be a read at every book club, not only for the story-line and information, but as a precursor for all of us to realize we all need to be part of the mental health crisis solution in any way we can. Kudos to the author for bringing her story to the fore front so maybe our stories can have a different ending.
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M P W. (Glen Burnie, MD)
Eye-opening!
For anyone unfamiliar with the mental health system, particularly in the U.S., this book is a real eye-opener. The author, whose teenage son develops psychotic symptoms, explores virtually every facet of the system, while growing increasingly frantic and frustrated by the lack of a coherent explanation of psychosis or treatment plan options. While I cheered her along, I couldn't help comparing her journey with that of people with little/no insurance who have to rely on an even more broken system of public mental health care. While this is not a book for those looking for answers, it is a good survey and a definite statement of a mother's love and devotion to a broken child.
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Barbara F. (Santa Monica, CA)
Grace Under So Much Challenge—Cracks Where the Light Tries (& Tries) to Come In
"Zig-Zag Boy"—a perfect title for a beautifully written story of a mother's love for her sweet, funny, popular son who's suddenly confronted with hard to imagine challenges. Though I'm not usually a 'memoir' reader, Tanya Frank is a wonderful writer and I was hooked from the book's first pages. The story reminded me of the novel "Dear Edward", and as I read—as a mother of a son—Frank's love for Zach reminded me of my son & I.
Readers don't have to be parents of—we're sisters/brothers/aunts/uncles/friends—and the vulnerability we all face by not knowing what the future holds is inevitable. Frank's memoir is testament to not allowing fear and loss to win—fighting for her son's well-being by remembering self-compassion for herself on the journey.
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Patricia A. (New York, NY)
Zig Zag Boy
Being a lover of non-fiction, I realized I was going to love this book well into the first chapter. This is a honest narrative as well as a journal, of a mother and son's sudden decent into the world of psychosis. Their life and routine are instantly changed, relationships are tested, and the challenges and failures of the health care system are all too soon revealed. I especially loved her narratives when she retreated into nature. This provided her the strength and vision to continue to endure the ongoing roller coaster of events. Those pages so well written, also gave me respite when anxiously anticipating the next event. I found a great story which expanded my empathy and also contained an inspirational message. My only critique is I wished the book was longer!
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Judith C. (Minneapolis, MN)
Zig-Zag Boy a Worthwhile Read
Zig-Zag Boy is a beautifully written memoir. Within the first few pages, I was drawn into the story and it was hard to put down. Tonya Frank successfully shares a glimpse of what it was like for her as a mother to deal with an adult son with Psychosis. She bravely shares her struggles as she navigates health care systems in both California and the UK as she endlessly advocates for him. It was at times heartbreaking but a very worthwhile read. Frank demonstrates her fierce love for her son and the importance of being present with him through his struggles. Impressive writing.
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Molly A. (Pryor, OK)
"Zig-Zag Boy" is A Required Read in Today's Mental Health Climate
When I first heard about Tanya Frank's book, "Zig-Zag Boy", I knew I had to read it. As the older sister to a man who has been affected by mental illness for half of his life, I am interested in any tool or treatise that may prove helpful in understanding his condition. My brother has been labeled with the full gamut of diagnoses, including clinical depression, schizophrenia, agoraphobia, and bipolar disorder. He has, as of this writing, not yet found a successful solution, but Frank's memoir has given me hope.
Tanya Frank's son, Zach, also called "Zigs", first demonstrated signs of schizophrenia at 19, when he began demonstrating paranoia about the government spying on him. His delusions waxed and waned, and caused Frank to begin the perilous navigation of the bureaucracy known as the American mental health system. She ping-ponged back and forth between a plethora of providers, pharmaceutical band-aids, and unsolicited advice from critics. I found myself cringing, and nodding, and yelling out load as I read her frustrated words that were so relatable.
Eventually, doctors pronounced that Zach was afflicted with "schizoaffective disorder", an illness I had not, yet, heard of, and recommended a heavy drug cocktail. As Frank educated herself more about the disease, she ultimately found organizations, for supporting patients and family members, and for advocating supportive group living rather than hospitalization.
I recommend this book to anyone who knows someone struggling with any kind of mental illness, especially if the illness is vague and not well understood, and also to anyone who seeks healthcare reform for a largely marginalized and neglected group of people in our country. While it is not an antidote to mental illness, the book offers some coping mechanisms, and reminds us that we do not need to face mental illness alone.
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